| Canada | |
| Value | 0.10 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 1.75 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Thickness | 1.22 mm |
| Edge | milled |
| Composition | 92% steel, 5.5% Cu, 2.5% Ni plating |
| Years of minting | 1858–present |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |
| Designer | Susanna Blunt |
| Design date | 2003 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Bluenose schooner |
| Designer | Emmanuel Hahn |
| Design date | 1937 |
In Canada a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It is the smallest (in physical size) of the currently issued Canadian coins. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10 cent piece, but in practice the term dime is universal. It is nearly identical in size to the American dime, but unlike its counterpart, the Canadian dime is magnetic due to a distinct metal composition: from 1968-99 it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2000 it has had a high steel content.
Currently the dime has, as with all Canadian coins, a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on the obverse. The reverse contains a representation of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian schooner. The artist, Emmanuel Hahn, used three ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.
The word "dime" comes from the French word "dîme", meaning "tithe" or "tenth part," from the Latin decima [pars].
Contents |
History of Composition
| Years | Mass | Diameter/Shape | Composition[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–present | 1.75 g | 18.03 mm | 92.0% steel (unspecified alloy), 5.5% copper, 2.5% nickel plating |
| 1979–1999 | 2.075 g | 18.03 mm | 99.9% nickel |
| 1969–1978 | 2.07 g | 18.03 mm | 99.9% nickel |
| 1968 | 2.07 g
2.33 g |
18.03 mm
18.034 mm |
99.9% nickel (172.5M)
50% silver, 50% copper (70.4M) |
| 1967 | 2.33 g | 18.034 mm | 50% silver, 50% copper (30.6M)
80% silver, 20% copper (32.3M) |
| 1920–1966 | 2.33 g | 18.034 mm | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| 1910–1919 | 2.33 g | 18.034 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper |
| 1858–1910 | 2.32 g | 18.034 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper |
Special editions
- 1936 dot: Extremely rare with only 5 known. Valued at 150 000$ in SP-63.Template:2006 sale Heritage auctions
- 1967: Canadian centennial; all coins had unique reverses, 10 cent had a mackerel
- 1969 Large Date: Less than 20 examples of the large date variety exist. High grade versions of this coin sell for $15,000 to $30,000.
- 1999p: The first Canada 10 cent coin issued with the new plating "P" process. Plated coins are marked with a small "P" beneath the Queen's effigy on the obverse of the coin. Mintage is limited to 20,000 coins.
- 2000p: The 2000p Canada dime is an extreme rarity with less than 250 examples minted. The 2000p dime was lent to the vending industry by the Royal Canadian Mint to test the compatibility of the new plating process of circulation coins with existing vending machines and meters. Under contractual obligation, these coins were to be returned to the Mint once the compatibility tests were complete. Of the approximately 250 coins minted, many were not returned to the mint leading to significant debate surrounding the legality of owning these coins. High-grade examples of the 2000p 10 cent issue range from $5,000 to $15,000 CDN. Unlike the 5, and 50 cent 2000p issues, the 10 cent coin was not officially released by the Mint, and entered the numismatic market illegally and are still the property of the Royal Canadian Mint. The 25 cent 2000p caribou reverse is also an outstanding rarity. No more than 250 caribou reverse 2000p 25 cent pieces were minted, although few are known in existence.
- 2001: A special edition 10-cent coin was released to honour volunteers; notable for a reconfigured obverse which did not include the phrase D. G. Regina. A small number of volunteer coins were accidentally issued with a die break error, causing the lettering to bleed into the reeded edge of the coin.
First Strikes
| Year | Theme | Mintage | Issue Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Bluenose | 1,861 | $14.95 |
| 2006 | With New Mint Mark | 5,000 | $29.95 |
References
- Cross, W.K.. Canadian Coins (59th edition ed.). Toronto: The Charlton Press. pp. 501. ISBN 0-88968-288-7.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.png){kind=small}
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dime (Canadian coin) |
 |
This coin-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This Canada-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
